T Nation

Beginner Powerlifter's Diet

#1

I'm a 19-year-old guy, 72KG weight, 1,72M height. I'm writing these lines in order to get some pieces of advice in my diet according to my workout.

Day 1: Back Squat (1RM), Military Press (1RM), Power Clean (1RM + 2X2 90 % RM). Some shoulder work is done at the end.

Day 2,3: Light Day*.

Day 4: Front Squat (1RM + 1x3 90 % RM), Bench Press (1RM), Clean Deadlift (1RM). Some biceps and triceps work is done at the end.

Day 5,6: Light Day*.

Day 7: Rest.

After the 1RM in BS, MP, BP, CD it is done 1x(8,5,3) (80,85,90) % RM, respectively, changing every week in a 3 week period.

*Some push-ups, pull-ups, neck work, abs and no-weighted lunges are done in the 4 light days.

This new routine has been started a week ago, with these weight results:

BS: 110KG RM FS: 90KG RM
MP: 55KG RM BP: 80KG RM
PC: 70KG RM CD: 110KG RM

All the workout is done RAW. By the moment, I do not consume any supplements, but I'm looking forward to buy Creatine, nor I follow any special diet.

I hope you can help me with how and what should I eat to get good progress. Please take into consideration that I can't afford buying protein supplements.

Thank you.

#2

[quote]AlbertPuig wrote:
I’m a 19-year-old guy, 72KG weight, 1,72M height. I’m writing these lines in order to get some pieces of advice in my diet according to my workout.
…
I hope you can help me with how and what should I eat to get good progress.[/quote]
“Get good progress” for what? What are your goals?

Are you trying to gain weight? Are you trying to maintain your size (stay in your current weight class) while getting stronger?

Here’s an article that discusses a very basic outline on how to setup a good nutrition plan:

I’m not really sure what else you’re looking for.

Can you tell me what creatine does and how it’s going to help you?

#3

The basics of a lifter’s diet who isn’t obese are pretty simple. You have to gain weight to gain muscle, and you have to gain muscle to get stronger (ignoring CNS adaptations, which will occur no matter what).

Ideally, you’ll gain about .5-1 lbs a week (.22-.45 kgs). You’ll also eat 1g of protein per pound of body weight, which is .45 g per kg of bodyweight. Good foods for getting this much protein (it’s not easy at first) include lean meat such as chicken, ham, and fish. Eggs and beef are also good choices. Dairy can help as well.

If you want to be precise about this, you’ll start counting calories. First, you’ll calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) using any number of online tools which calculate that for you. Then, you’ll try to eat 250-500 calories more than you TDEE a day. Again, make sure to get 1g of protein per .45 kg of body weight.

Now, the TDEE the calculator gives you is just an estimate, so you’ll want to track your weight with a scale. Every morning, weigh yourself after using the bathroom, but before eating or drinking. It’s the most consistent time for your weight, which fluctuates by a couple kilos everyday.

After a month, you should have gained about 2-4 pounds (.9 - 1.8 kg), use your daily logs of your weight to confirm that your weight is trending upwards. If you are gaining noticeably less or more than that amount, alter your calorie intake accordingly. For example, if you gain 4 kg the first month, you’ll want to chop off about 500 calories a day from what you were eating. If you don’t gain any weight, you’ll want to add 500 calories.

All this said, the above advice assumes you are prioritizing strength/muscle gains. Good luck, keep track of all this is tedious, but it will pay off.

#4

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
“Get good progress” for what? What are your goals?

Are you trying to gain weight? Are you trying to maintain your size (stay in your current weight class) while getting stronger?

Can you tell me what creatine does and how it’s going to help you? [/quote]

Thank you both for the answers.

Chris, my goals are to gain strength and to do so, I expect to maintain or to gain a little more weight, but not to overpass a lot my current one.

And Creatine is a “source of energy” to maximize your performance at gym. Of course does not affect the diet, but if you’re more efficient in your workout your nutrition needs are going to be different.

#5

Just to throw it out there I never got anything but some extra bloat from creatine… definetly never got a energy boost.

#6

i always thought it was to help w/ recovery… but i never touched the stuff, so i’m clueless too

#7

[quote]AlbertPuig wrote:
my goals are to gain strength and to do so, I expect to maintain or to gain a little more weight, but not to overpass a lot my current one.[/quote]
With your current strength levels, you’re in a spot where you can certainly gain more strength without necessarily gaining much, if any, bodyweight. You don’t need to “eat your way to stronger” as they say.

Set up your nutrition along some of the basic rules that’ve been mentioned already and simply monitor your weight each week. If you feel you’re gaining too much, drop back on total calories and/or consider adding some brief cardio/conditioning sessions a few days a week.

Also, did you get your current training program from someone/somewhere particular? I’m pretty certain you’d see even better progress on a better-designed program. As it is, with only two hard days of training and 4 light/easy days, your total calories don’t need to be as high as someone lifting heaver 4 or 5 days a week.

I will say, though, that even before creatine, it’s more important to have a specific workout shake that has protein and carbs. That’s a fundamental aspect of recovery.

#8

Yep Chris, my work-out has been done by my brother, who has been training for years. He’s my personal trainer and has designed me several routines. At the moment I’m with the one on 2 hard days just because he’s doing the same and the result are very prolific. Before this, I was doing a 4 hard day routine.

#9

[quote]Reed wrote:
Just to throw it out there I never got anything but some extra bloat from creatine… definetly never got a energy boost.[/quote]

You eat a lot of red meat and steak man? That will saturate you the same way creatine will. If not, try creapure. Much more refined and little to no bloat.

#10

[quote]AlbertPuig wrote:
Yep Chris, my work-out has been done by my brother, who has been training for years. He’s my personal trainer and has designed me several routines. At the moment I’m with the one on 2 hard days just because he’s doing the same and the result are very prolific. Before this, I was doing a 4 hard day routine.[/quote]
If you’re happy with the results, that’s what counts.

How has your strength and bodyweight improved these last few weeks?